When someone mentions the word “theater” the writer William Shakespeare often comes to mind. The Manhattan High School thespians are bringing his famous work to the stage once again.

“This play is ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ and it is by William Shakespeare,” senior Kalea Fraser said. “It’s kind of like a little love or romance play, which every Shakespeare play has some aspect of that.”

This will be the play put on by the MHS thespians to bring the 2017-18 school year to an end. The show is often seen as a comedy, featuring lovers Beatrice and Benedick, and Hero and Claudio and their different perceptions on romance.

“I am currently a messenger,” Fraser said. “The messengers — there’s four of us — and basically we’re just there to provide extra information from what’s going on outside of that scene.”

The past year has been full of events and shows for the MHS thespians, giving students opportunities to make plenty of memories and form new relationships.

“I honestly love [theater] so much,” freshman Max Barb said. “The people here are so great. These are some of the best friends I have ever had. Seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen, everyone is so inclusive of everybody.”

As the year is coming to a close, many seniors will be leaving legacies in theater, but underclassman will be there to step in and fill the large shoes they leave behind. This will also be the last MHS play directed by the theater department’s advisor Linda Uthoff. Despite that, actors, actresses, techies and everyone else involved is having a blast preparing for the show.

“I think, especially during our dress rehearsals, we’ve been getting along, we’ve been getting through the show, and I think it’s going to go really well, just like the rest of our shows,” Fraser said.

The next school year will be full of opportunities for young thespians to improve their skills, but also for incoming freshmen and shy underclassmen to branch out.

“If you are not a thespian, join Thespians,” Barb said. “It is so much fun; I don’t regret it at all. There’s so much you can do, there’s such a wide range of things that you can be a part of.”